Sports impact protection system

Abstract

The invention provides a sports impact protection system adaptable for use with ordinary sports apparel such shirts, pants and shorts. The system includes one or more impact absorbing pads and means for reversibly attaching the pads to sports apparel.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. An apparel-attachable impact protection kit, comprising:
 at least one discrete, impact-absorbing protective pad, said pad having a thickness an expansive dimension, a front and a back; 
 a first at least one strip or sheet having two sides, a reversible touch fastener disposed on one side and the other side being attached to or irreversibly attachable to the back of the pad; 
 a second at least one strip or sheet having two sides, a reversible touch fastener disposed on one side reversibly attachable to the touch fastener side of the first at least one strip or sheet, and the other side irreversibly attachable to a fabric apparel item, 
 wherein said pad consists essentially of a base portion at least substantially coextensive with the expansive dimension of the pad and a plurality of pods protruding from the base portion, said pods laterally spaced apart from one another, 
 wherein the base portion and the pods are part of the same unitary form, and 
 wherein said pad is optionally covered in fabric. 
 
     
     
       2. The kit of  claim 1 , wherein the side of the second at least one strip or sheet irreversibly attachable to the fabric apparel item is self-adhesive. 
     
     
       3. The kit of  claim 1 , wherein the side of the second at least one strip or sheet irreversibly attachable to the fabric apparel item comprises heat-activated adhesive. 
     
     
       4. The kit of  claim 1 , wherein the other side of the first at least one strip or sheet is self-adhesive, whereby the at least one strip or sheet is irreversibly attachable to the back of the pad. 
     
     
       5. The kit of  claim 2 , wherein the other side of the first at least one strip or sheet is self-adhesive, whereby the at least one strip or sheet is irreversibly attachable to the back of the pad. 
     
     
       6. The kit of  claim 3 , wherein the other side of the first at least one strip or sheet is self-adhesive, whereby the at least one strip or sheet is irreversibly attachable to the back of the pad. 
     
     
       7. The kit of  claim 1 , wherein the pad is comprised a rubberized gel foam form. 
     
     
       8. The kit of  claim 7 , wherein the rubberized gel foam form is covered in fabric. 
     
     
       9. The kit of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one protective pad comprises a protective chest pad sized and configured to at least partially cover the portion of a person's chest in which the heart is disposed. 
     
     
       10. The kit of  claim 9 , wherein the chest pad has a top and bottom together defining a vertical height, and horizontal width, the width of the chest pad tapering in one or more steps toward the bottom, and further comprises:
 a laterally centrally disposed vertical pod; and 
 to each lateral side of the vertical pod, a set of vertically arranged pods. 
 
     
     
       11. The kit of  claim 10 , wherein the laterally centrally disposed vertical pod extends at least substantially from the top to the bottom of the chest pad, with the proviso that a margin between the edge of the chest pad defined by the perimeter of the base of the pad and adjacent pods may be present. 
     
     
       12. The kit of  claim 10 , wherein the chest pad is bilaterally symmetric. 
     
     
       13. The kit of  claim 1 , further comprising at least one template sized and configured for attaching the second at least one strip or sheet to the fabric apparel item in a predetermined location. 
     
     
       14. The kit of  claim 1 , further comprising at least one apparel item selected from the group consisting of a shirt, long pants, short pants, hosiery, a hat and an under garment. 
     
     
       15. An impact-protective sports apparel assemblage, comprising:
 at least one discrete, impact-absorbing protective pad, said pad having a thickness, an expansive dimension, a front and a back; 
 a first at least one strip or sheet having two sides, a touch fastener disposed on one side and the other side being attached to the back of the pad; 
 a second at least one strip or sheet having two sides, a touch fastener disposed on one side reversibly attachable with the touch fastener side of the first at least one strip or sheet, and the other side irreversibly attached to a fabric apparel item, such as but not limited to a shirt, long pants, shorts (short pants), socks, a hat and an under garment, 
 wherein said pad consists essentially of a base portion at least substantially coextensive with the expansive dimension of the pad and a plurality of pods protruding from the base portion, said pods laterally spaced apart from one another, 
 wherein the base portion and the pods are part of the same unitary form, 
 wherein said pad is optionally covered in fabric, and 
 wherein said pad is reversibly attached to the fabric apparel item via engagement of the touch fastener side of the first at least one strip or sheet and the touch fastener side of the second at least one strip or sheet. 
 
     
     
       16. The impact-protective sports apparel assemblage  claim 15 , wherein the fabric apparel item is selected from the group consisting of: a shirt, long pants, short pants, hosiery, a hat and an under garment. 
     
     
       17. An apparel-attachable impact protection kit, comprising:
 at least one discrete, impact-absorbing protective pad, said pad having a thickness, an expansive dimension, a front and a back; 
 a first at least one strip or sheet having two sides, a touch fastener disposed on one side and the other side being attached to the back of the pad; 
 a second at least one strip or sheet having two sides, a touch fastener disposed on one side reversibly attachable to the touch fastener side of the first at least one strip or sheet, and the other side irreversibly attached to a fabric apparel item, 
 wherein said pad consists essentially of a base portion at least substantially coextensive with the expansive dimension of the pad and a plurality of pods protruding from the base portion, said pods laterally spaced apart from one another, 
 wherein the base portion and the pods are part of the same unitary form, and 
 wherein said pad is optionally covered in fabric. 
 
     
     
       18. The kit of  claim 17 , wherein the fabric apparel item is selected from the group consisting of: a shirt, long pants, short pants, hosiery, a hat and an under garment.